Magic and Might
by Hamilcar
Summary: A bludger gone amok in the Malfoys' forest leads Scorpius and Albus to four strange looking men, a mystery about something called a tesseract, and something they've hoped for all their lives: a genuine adventure and a chance to be heroes. AS/S and Thorki.
1. A Bludger Run Amok

After Steve showed up, Tony thought that things had gotten about as complicated as they were going to get, until he heard something coming crashing through the woods. A quick glance told him that Mjolnir was still in Thor's hands so he was startled when an object raced through the trees, hitting Steve and sending him to the ground.

"What in the name of the Nine..." Thor got no further when whatever the object was changed course and bowled Loki over as well. "Brother!" He moved towards him but it hit him too, with a sickening crack. At this point Tony was fully armored, hands charging, ready to face whatever it was that could knock over a supposed God of Thunder.

He barely got a read that it was an orb of some kind before it smashed into his faceplate and everything went dark for him as well.

He was just getting out of it when he heard the crunch of footsteps on twigs.

"I told you Albus, I didn't do anything to it! It went crazy on its own. Maybe it was too old to be using. Sometimes the enchantments get weird if they're too old."

"Yeah, well… Gah!" There was a shout and a smash. "There it is, quick, quick…"

There was a swooshing sound along with shouted words that Tony didn't recognizing. He heard the sounds of panting.

"There. Managed to get… what the heck."

Tony froze, not sure if it was better to stay on the ground or get up. The voices sounded young, surely they couldn't be that much of a threat, he reasoned. So, with a whirring of hydraulics, he started to get to his feet. For a moment he saw two boys dressed in black robes, a lanky one with silver-blond hair and a shorter one with mussy black hair.

He held his hands up.

"Now I don't want you to panic…"

The blonde's grey eyes grew wide and he pointed a stick that he was holding at Tony.

"STUPEFY!"

A jet of red light shot at him and for the second time in less than an hour, Tony's world went dark.

This time when he came to, he was no longer on the ground. In fact, it didn't feel as though there was anything beneath him. It took him a moment to realize it, but he was floating.

Relatively.

"Albus, be careful!" One of the voices hissed. Tony carefully opened his eyes to see that it was the blond again. "You almost knocked that blue one into a tree!"

"Well it's not easy trying to levitate two bodies at once, Scorp."

"I know it isn't easy! I'm doing it too. Wait a second. Stupefy! Stupefy! _Stupefy!_" He panted. "The green one keeps waking up and it's taking more than one to put him back under. I think he's got some kind of resistance to the spell."

Spell? Tony did not like the sound of that at all.

"Do you have to keep knocking them out? This would be a lot easier if they could just walk back to the mansion."

"And a lot less safe. They're trespassers Al. Either dangerous or weird ones by the look of it. And I'm not taking any chances. Dad's still got enough enemies that I don't like to assume anything. We'll get them secured and then we'll figure out what to do."

Secured? Tony liked the sound of that even less. But he made the mistake of showing his displeasure by taking in a breath. His eyes they couldn't see – but his voice they heard. The stick trained on him again and before he could react it was back to black.

The third time he woke up, he was out of his armor, suspended in chains. He took a glance around him. They were in an underground room of some sort, secured to a stone wall. Steve was still out of it and so was Thor by the look of it. Loki was rousing, but Tony had no desire to have any kind of interaction with him and continued to feign unconsciousness.

The two voices from earlier were coming through a doorway on the side of the room they were in.

"You and that stupid bludger. If we hadn't had to go after that bludger none of this would have happened." There was a clinking sound. "If we were messing with a snitch it wouldn't have flown off like that and it certainly wouldn't have brained a bunch of weird strangers in the head."

"Well you certainly didn't object at the time," the raven-haired one hissed crossly. "Besides, we're not seekers, we're beaters. What good is it going to be practicing with a snitch? And wouldn't you have wanted to know there were strange people in the manor's forest?"

Half of the words didn't make sense to Tony but he kept listening, hoping to pick up on something.

"In either case, they're here now," the other sighed. "And we'll just have to deal with it."

"What are we going to do? They all look dangerous. In their own ways."

"I've put the manor's technology dampers back up so that suit thing shouldn't work even if it isn't on him. Bad news – that means we're going to be without the wifi until I take them off."

So that's why they had been able to take his suit without any problem.

"And what about the others?" The boy's voice became increasingly urgent. "I think they looked like wizards. I'm pretty sure they were wizards. Not from around here maybe, because they don't seem English either, but wizards all the same."

"Maybe. We'll need to figure it out somehow. But that's why I have this." Tony couldn't tell what 'this' was, but he doubted it would be anything good. There was a trickling sound, then splashing. "We'll know more about how dangerous they are once we know who and what they are."

"Is that your dad's?"

"Yeah, he always keeps a bit around the house just in case. Uncle Theo makes it for him, though, since I don't think he's had much success making that sort of stuff."

"Your godfather always was good at that."

"Hopefully this will get us the answers we need."

The sound of footsteps drew close and Tony let his head drop to feign unconsciousness.

"Do we wake them up first?"

"I think so. So nobody chokes."

Something sharp poked Tony in the neck.

"Rennervate."

There was a sharp jolt and even if he hadn't been awake, he was sure that would have roused him. The two boys were in front of him and the silver-haired one was holding a goblet.

"Drink," he ordered. "It's not poison." He cast a sideways glance at his companion. "Kind of."

Tony's heart sank but with the two sticks – wands, he supposed it would be more accurate to say, given how evident it was they held some kind of power – trained on him, he didn't have much choice but to let it slide down his throat. As far as he could tell, it was nothing more than cool water, and there didn't seem to be any immediate effects. But he knew they'd put something into it and he waited to figure out what.

"How kind of you to offer your hospitality," he panted. "But next time I'd rather I got my drugs in alcohol. Got any whiskey around here?"

The dark one shot him a confused look but the other kept him moving to each in turn, repeating the same process. First they woke Steve, then Loki, and finally Thor. When they were all awake and the goblet was empty, the two stepped back.

"Alright." The blond swallowed and looked at them. "Here's how it's going to go. I've got you all in some locks with all kinds of enchantments, half of which I'm not even sure what they do. So unless you fancy getting changed into a newt or losing some limbs, best bet is to just sit tight and not try escaping too much. You're first going to tell me who you are. And then you're going to tell me what the hell you lot were doing skulking around our forest."

"Skulking? Thor does not skulk!"

The blond swiveled towards him. "Thor? Is that your name? Seriously, _Thor?_"

"Thor Odinson, yes, that is the name by which I am known. And I am indeed most serious about this fact."

The boy looked at his companion.

"This is ridiculous," the first said. "That can't possibly be his name. That's stupider than mine and I'm pretty sure my dad was high and on a _Farscape_ bender when he thought it up."

"I don't think he can lie if he's under Veritaserum, can he?" The black-haired boy hissed in a still-audible whisper. "Besides, hasn't your uncle been teaching you legilimency? Can't you use that to check?"

"He could resist it if he was prepared. Same with the legilimency." He turned back to Thor. "Are you a wizard?"

"I am an Asgardian!" He strained against his bonds. "And I demand you release me from these chains!"

"Not until we figure out what is going on. You next." The boy turned towards Loki. "What's your name?"

"Loki," he ground out after a moment of resistance, looking surprised.

"More Norse mythology, great." He rolled his eyes. "What were you doing here?"

"My… my brother brought me to the forest. He stole me out of their custody in a foolhardy attempt to bring me home." The answer spilled from his lips, though he looked resentful as each word dropped.

"Is that true?" He turned back to Thor.

"I was trying to persuade him to give up the tesseract and come home." He looked towards Loki. "I still believe that he ought."

Loki's eyes narrowed into an expression of disdain but he said nothing.

"And you two." The other boy stepped up. "Who are you and what was your role in this?"

"Tony Stark." He felt the words come rising out of his chest. "I was chasing after golden boy here trying to get our prisoner back."

"He is not yours to punish!" Thor protested.

"Quiet!" The silver-haired boy's wand whipped from person to person. "Start to argue and I swear on Merlin's tomb I will silence every one of you and seal this place up for a year!"

"Scorp!" The other gasped. "They would _starve!_"

He rolled his eyes. "Come on Al, I'm not really going to do that. The last bit anyway. The first bit I would."

"You know, you two really aren't very good at this interrogation thing, you should hire a profession like the one we've got back at…"

"SILENCIO!" The wand jabbed towards him and Tony heard his voice fall silent even as his mouth moved. "Told you that I would silence you. You were getting annoying. Now you."

"Steve Rogers. U.S. Military. Alias Captain America."

"American, I never would have guessed." The boy laughed. "And what was your role?"

"I followed Mr. Stark into battle in an attempt to retrieve the prisoner and discover the whereabouts of the tessaract," he answered in clipped tones. "It was my hope to make Thor and Tony see that we are all on the same side instead of infighting."

"Great. So you were all just having some squabble. And what's this tesseract thing anyway? Do we need to go back to the woods to find it? I didn't see anything besides that hammer doohickey."

"It is an object of great power. Loki has hidden it," Thor answered. "It was no longer on his person."

"Well now we're getting somewhere!" The wand turned onto the man in green. "So?"

"What?" Loki hissed.

"Where. Is. It. Come on, Al and I don't have all day, let's get this over with. Tell them where their toy is at and we can all get this hashed out in time for dinner."

"I… I don't… have it…" the words struggled out of him.

"Your pal there told us that. Where's it actually at?"

His lips were pressed for a moment or two. "Clint Barton has it. In a research facility."

"Fabulous. Where?"

"It's mobile."

"Great!" He turned to the other boy. "Now what?"

"I don't know," he groaned, "but I'm getting a headache. Maybe we could just oblivate them and call it a day?"

"No way, you know neither of us do that spell consistently enough. It'd probably end up erasing the last five minutes or erasing everything they've got upstairs. Besides, what are we going to do, just turn them out on the mansion grounds?" He ran his fingers through his hair. "I think I'm going to call my uncle. He'll know what to do about this."

"Why not just call your dad?"

"I don't want to interrupt his holiday! He's been looking forward to it forever and mum too. Besides, he trusted me to take care of the house. I'm not going to let him know about this, not if I can help it. And Uncle Theo has always been good at keeping our secrets when we needed him to." His hand brushed against the other's. "There's nobody I'd trust more with this. And nobody I'd consider more likely to know what to do."

"Alright." He nodded. "We'll get your uncle." He looked at the four men. "You guys wait here; we are going to be back in a jiffy."

"As though there were anything else for us to do," Loki sneered.

"_Silencio!_" The blonde's wand flashed at the god as well. "I can do it to you too. I'm in no mood for lip from _any_ of you. Not even the ones named after Norse gods. Ruining the one week I get alone with Albus…" he grumbled as they left the dungeons and stomped up the stairs.

* * *

A/N: I know it's fudging the timeline a smidgen, but Scorpius and Alubs are late in their teenage years - just a bit past 17.


	2. A Brilliant Plan

Albus returned only seconds after they'd taken a few steps up the stairs and when he did, Steve looked at him curiously.

"I thought you were going to contact somebody?"

"Scorpius and I agreed that somebody should watch you guys." He glared at Loki. "You know. Just in case."

"Scorpius is a most interesting name," Thor remarked without preamble. "One mayhap I should expect to heard more in the realm of Asgard than in Midgard."

"His family likes to name people after constellations. Some of them anyway." He looked them over. "So while you're all still in a truth-telling mood, what's up with this tesseract thing anyway? What is it, even? Some kind of weapon?"

Steve looked at Tony who looked back at him. Loki glared at the ground. Only Thor straightened up and spoke as if reciting from memory.

"The tesseract is an ancient artifact which holds within it cosmic power, a jewel of my realm which was stolen away ages ago. I did not suspect that I should find it here." His head turned toward Loki. "Nor that it should be my brother to so zealously pursue it or attempt to use it in a course of destruction."

"So you guys are brothers." Albus smiled, but the expression did not reach his eyes. "I'm sensing some tension. Makes me think of my brother."

"Loki is merely misguided, misunderstood." The man in question tossed his head, still unable to speak but nevertheless able to convey his disdain. "You must come home. We will fix this and all will be well again! You must believe me, brother."

"We can't allow you to do that, not when he's threatening earth with that tessaract," Steve said severely.

"He will give it up!" Thor protested, his expression strained yet hopeful. "Give it up and return to Asgard!"

The look on Loki's face plainly revealed that he wouldn't be taking this course of action if he could help it and Albus turned to Thor in sympathy.

"I don't know that he's going to go along with that plan." Thor opened his mouth to protest but before he could, Albus changed the subject. "So if you're not wizards like I was assuming, what are you?"

"Your people called us gods in ancient times," Thor said.

"Yeah, I know, although forgive me if I'm a little skeptical." He looked at Steve. "What about you?"

"I'm a super soldier in the employ of the United States government."

"Super?" Albus' voice grew thoughtful. "Like a hero? Like a super hero?"

"You could all us that." Steve's cheeks reddened. "Although I honestly feel as though I am merely doing my duty."

"So how'd you get paired up with a guy like him?" He nodded at Tony. "Because he seems like a real…"

"Back!" Scorpius came running down the stairs.

"Did you find your uncle?" Albus asked.

He shook his head. "He wasn't in the study or the potions chamber or the library. I shouted but no answer. Left a note on his door, hopefully he'll find it soon."

There was a sound upstairs and they grinned.

"Well that was fast," Albus laughed.

"We're downstairs!" Scorpius leaned into the stairwell and screamed. "In the dungeons!"

"The dungeons?" A voice drifted down but it didn't sound like an uncle; it didn't even sound male. "What the heck are you doing down in the dungeons?"

Scorpius drew back and swore under his breath. "It's Frankie."

"But she wasn't supposed to come over until seven!" Albus gasped.

"Yeah, and how long do you think we were out there looking for that bludger and then escorting these four back here. Damn it! We must have lost track of… Frankie!" He forced a smile to his face. "How good to see you!"

A girl walked in clutching a six pack of bottles in one hand and a bulky purse slung about the other arm. She was a brunette, taller than Albus but not yet Scorpius' height, with wavy brown hair that she bound in pigtails hanging down either side of her face. She took a look at the four prisoners but only raised an eyebrow.

"Al. Scor. What did you two do?" Her voice was laden half with suspicion and half with bemused concern.

"We can explain," Scorpius said quickly.

"You can explain why you have four men chained up in your basement. This is an explanation I would _love_ to hear." She set the bottles down on the floor with a thunk. "Here, Al, I brought you a copy of the Quidditch mag with your cousin Rosie in it." She tossed him a glossy after fishing it out of the purse.

"Thanks."

""So what is this about?" She looked the four over. "You pick them up from some club?" Her tone was frosty and Scorpius flinched. "You know, for once in my life," she sighed, "I would like to get into some kind of shenanigans that didn't revolve around men who aren't even going to give me the time of day."

"This isn't anything to do with that!" Scorpius said. "We found them in the forest earlier today when we went out looking for a bludger that escaped."

She frowned. "I did think they looked a little old. So if they're not refugees from some really weird club scene, who are they?"

Albus leaned in. "I think they're super heroes!" He whispered.

"Al, this dungeon echoes like a canyon, they can still hear you," Frankie remarked.

"I think they're super heroes!" A grin was starting to form. "Well, except for the one in green. We've only just started talking to them but we're pretty sure he's the villain."

"He is not!" Thor protested. "He is my brother!"

"Thor, you have to admit, in the circumstances of the case…" Steven started.

"Thor?" She laughed. "And it _would_ be the one in green," she smirked. "You know, to be the bad guy."

"Frankie, you're a Hufflepuff, do not start that house stereotype bullshit with us," Scorpius shot back, "because you will lose."

With a roll of her eyes, she bent down and grabbed one of the beers she'd brought. "Think I'm going to need this." Fishing around in her purse, she withdrew her own wand and popped off the bottle cap. "Are you really super heroes?"

"Some would say we are," Steve admitted.

"Why aren't the other two talking?"

"I silencio'd them. They were getting lippy."

She sighed and waved her wand.

"Finally! You little punk, you have no idea what kind of trouble you're in!"

"Tony," Steve cut in, "they're just kids."

"We are not just kids!" Albus said, cheeks coloring. "We're seventeen! We're of majority!"

"Yeah? We'll he's probably over a hundred." Tony jerked his head towards Steve.

"I'm not _that_ old," Steve protested. "I've been frozen in ice," he explained.

"If they're heroes, why'd you tie them up?"

"We didn't know that when we tied them up!" Scorpius protested. "And I'm not so sure that I buy that they're heroes."

"You gave them Veritaserum, it's got to be true," Albus spoke up.

"You gave them Veritaserum? Scorpius!"

"What! We could have been in danger. We needed to get the truth out of them quickly. Veritaserum was the perfect solution. Try not to let your Gryffindork father's genes make you lose all your common sense for once Frankie!"

She scowled and took another swig of beer.

"And we're not going to be the ones in trouble," Scorpius said, finding the thread of the original conversation. "I from what I've heard, that's going to be you. Since you apparently let this tosser get his hands on whatever that power source was."

"The tesseract," Steve supplied.

"Right, the tesseract. Just what I was about to say."

"Can I have a beer?" Al interrupted. "Sorry. Don't mean to bother."

"Sure, who else do you think I brought them over for? You think I'm going to drink this all myself?"

"Where'd you get them anyway?" Scorpius asked.

"Nicked 'em from mum's pub."

"And you give me grief about using dad's potions," he laughed as she took the caps off.

"I left a few sickles for them!" She grinned.

Albus transfigured several of the stones into cushy chairs and they sat down facing the four.

"What's the story on these guys, then, if they're supposedly super heros?"

"Guy in green, calls himself Loki, apparently took a tesseract from the other guys. That one," Albus pointed at Thor, "wants to take him back home wherever that may be. The other two want the object back, but he's not exactly being willing."

"Well if you gave him Veritaserum, couldn't you ask?"

"We thought of that!" Scorpius said snidely. "It's in motion. He knows who has it – some guy called Barkley?"

"Barton," Steve corrected.

"Barton. And it's in some kind of mobile ship."

"What's he planning to do with it?"

"How should I know?" Scorpius bristled.

"We just said! You ask! Half the time guys like these spill their guts bragging and that's without a shot of truth juice!" She stood up. "Greenie. Loki. Whatever your name is. What are you going to do with the tesseract?"

His brow furrowed and his mouth trembled in his attempts to resist. "I will use it as a portal to bring an army to earth to conquer you stupid, weak mortals like you are merely so much cattle."

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" She turned to Scorpius. "Well if you don't know where it is, how are you going to do that?"

"I was intending to rendezvous with those holding it at a certain point." The words came slowly and laboriously.

"A certain point. Think you could get a little more specific?"

There were a few beats of silence.

"Stark Tower."

"WHAT!" Tony screamed at the end of the lineup. "You're going to use my tower, open your damn portal, invade of all New York!"

"Yes, that was the general idea." He smirked. "And there's no reason it still shouldn't happen."

Albus set his beer down. "What? What do you mean by that?' He asked sharply.

"You idiots," Loki laughed. "The plan can still proceed. I am not necessary. Only the tesseract."

"So why were you fighting them?"

For a moment, he still resisted, but the words nevertheless spilled out. "As a distraction."

Albus looked over at Scorpius nervously. "We need to let them go. Three of them anyway."

"When?" Scorpius demanded. "When is this going to happen?"

Loki shrugged. "Soon."

"More specific than that!"

"Days?" He shrugged. "It depends."

"He needs to stabilize it first," Stark suddenly interjected. "Something that powerful, it needs to be controlled. If it's just pure energy, it wouldn't be very useful. That's why SHIELD couldn't use it."

"SHIELD?" Albus asked.

"The governmental organization we are working for," Steve said.

"That _you're_ working for!" Tony protested. "I'm a temp. At best. It's more like community service. Super community service. Bestowing my intelligence graciously upon those lesser…"

Scorpius held out his wand.

"Cut it out or I will silence you again. Or worse." He let the threat hang for a moment.

"Oh come on!" Tony protested. "You're already endangering the entire planet keeping me chained up here, you're not even going to let me snark?"

"We can't keep them like this," Albus repeated.

"Thank you," said Tony. "Finally, one of you talking sense."

"Or…" Albus began.

"Or? What 'or?'" Tony pulled against the cuffs. "I don't like 'or.' We need to get out of here and get that tesseract back before his royal ponciness over there uses it to unleash… unleash whatever extra-dimensional freaks he's going to unleash!"

"Or we could do it!" Al said brightly.

Five voices chorused a "What."

"Oh damn." Frances frowned. "He's got that look."

"Look, what look?" Albus asked in an innocent tone.

"The same look you used to get when you would tell us you were going to be a Jedi-Power Ranger-Wonderbolt-Pokemon Trainer-Starfleet Captain when you grew up. And also Batman at night. The look that explains why the hat thought about Gryffindor for a long moment. The look that means you're about to suggest something incredibly dumb."

"It isn't dumb!" He pointed at Loki. "It might not be our kind of magic, but he has some kind of power and we can use magic to fight him! We've already gotten a whole bunch of his plan out of him! They could use us!" He grabbed the front of Scorpius' robes in his enthusiasm. "We're wizards, they could totally use a wizard! Or two! Or even three!" He looked at Steve. "You don't have a wizard yet do you?"

"I didn't even realize wizards existed," Steve admitted.

"See! We can help!"

"I don't know Al…"

"We don't need to be baby sitting in addition to everything else," Tony interrupted. "No way. Not a chance. Not even a small one. We leave, you stay here, end of story."

Scorpius glared at him and his jaw set. "I think it's a fantastic idea Al. Best one you've had yet, even better than making the Chamber our makeout spot." He smirked. "And if you're all tied up here, who is going to stop us stopping him?"

"I will!" Frankie smacked them both on the back of the head. "You're supposed to be Slytherins! Use some sense! Rushing off into something like this is reckless and foolish and too many synonyms for stupid to list!" She crossed her arms. "Scorpius, what would your uncle say?"

"Actually, I happen to think it a good idea." A voice echoed from the corner.

In the corner a shimmering cloak slid to the floor, revealing the man who moments before had been invisible beneath it.

"Uncle Nott!" Scorpius laughed and ran over to embrace him.

Behind him, Loki's wan face grew a shade paler.

* * *

Ten points to whatever Pottermore house you're in if you can figure out which canon couple are Frankie's parents. The clues are brief but in there. ;)


	3. A Glance Inside

"Mr. Nott!" Albus joined Scorpius and embraced the man.

"Mr. Potter," he acknowledged. When Frankie joined them he lifted her hand to his lips and brushed them. "Ms. Longbottom."

"How long have you been here?" Scorpius asked.

"Long enough to understand the gravity of the circumstance. Even if, perhaps, you do not fully recognize it." He stood in front of Loki and looked at him with a gaze that the god shifted uncomfortably beneath. It was piercing and cold, immediately at odds with the warmth of his greeting to the young wizards and witch. "I understand you gave them Veritaserum. How much?"

"A lot. I splashed a whole bunch into a goblet with some water, had them drink, and they've been singing like a violin ever since."

"We have not been singing but speaking!" Thor protested.

Nott gave him a strange look then turned to frown at his godson. "Scorpius Hyperion. I am disappointed with you."

He looked at the floor. "Because I gave them Veritaserum?"

"Because you handled it so sloppily. What have I always impressed upon you when it comes to the creation and usage of potions?"

"To be patient…"

"And?" He pressed.

"And precise," he sighed.

"Exactly." He turned back to the four. "Without precision of the dosage you never know when the effects might be lost. Also, if you are going to chain men up in magical handcuffs," he began, drawing his wand, "you ought to at least bother to activate the more powerful enchantments on them."

He made a complex series of motions in the air and three sigils appeared in every cuff as if burned into the metal, one red, one blue, one green.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tony demanded.

"Extra security," he responded dryly. "I would not recommend you strain against the cuffs. Do so and the curses will activate."

"Curses?" Steve echoed.

"What foul manner of magic is this!" Thor glowered.

"The kind of magic I won't hesitate to use." He pointed his wand at Steve's cuff. "The first is Cruciatus. It is pain, more intense than any you've likely know. But merely pain all the less. The second is the Imperius. If you continue to resist, it will attempt to take over and make you docile. If you stay collected through the Cruciatus and throw off the Imperius, the last one…" He grinned. "The last one is Avada Kedavra. I trust you should be able to decipher on your own what _that_ one does."

"Mr. Nott!" Frankie gasped.

"Calm, Frances. If they are smart, none of these will be necessary. As it stands they are merely a precaution." He strode over to Loki. "So you are the villain of this story."

Loki glared at the man before him. In many ways, the god found him unassuming. Thin verging on the point of gauntness but nothing to make one stare, dark hair arranged neatly but unremarkably, a suit with robes about them. Take away the robes and he would likely blend into any crowd he was put into. Save for his one distinguishing feature – eyes that were dark and sharp, offering the only hint that this man might be more dangerous than he initially appeared.

"Scorpius," he murmured, "get me the potion from the cabinet where you got the Veritaserum that is in the cut violet glass."

"That one?" He frowned. "But that's…"

"I am well aware of what it is. I do not intend to make him drink it." He turned. "At once!"

Scorpius scrambled into the other room and came back clutching the small bottle. While he did, Albus and Frankie sank unsettled into the plush chairs. The atmosphere of the room had changed and even the others were beginning to sense it. Tony and Steve had fallen silent and turned away as Nott shifted his attentions to Loki. Only Thor glanced at his brother, but he could find no words.

"Thank you." He took the top off of the flask while Scorpius joined the other two, perching on the arm of Albus' chair. A pearlescent smoke wafted out and Nott held it under Loki's nose. "Tell me what you smell." The other hesitated. "Tell me, you inveterate liar," he insisted. "Tell me the _truth_."

"Fire. Iron. Apples." He looked away when he had spoken.

Nott smirked as though he had been expecting just such a response.

"Well done. You may return this to where you found it," he said. "And in exchange bring me four small empty phials." He then gave his full attention back to the green-clad man. "How very interesting. Now I would recommend that you look at me, Loki." His wand pressed into the flesh of Loki's throat. "Else I will have to force you."

"Do not harm him!" Thor commanded, breaking the silence. "If any harm comes to him, I shall…"

"Harm?" Nott interrupted. "His body will be unscathed, I promise."

"Mr. Nott?" Albus asked carefully. "What are you going to do?"

"Nothing too severe. I simply want to look upon him." He quirked his head to the side. "That I might understand why he seems to think it necessary to murder us. Now that I have given you an opportunity, I will also give you a time limit. Ten seconds. Beginning now. Ten… nine…"

At the count of six, Loki's gaze snapped upwards. "Good. Wise decision."

The darker wells of Nott's brown eyes met Loki's acidic green ones. For several long moments, nothing happened. At least nothing that Thor or the others chained with him could discern. The younger ones looked at each other nervously. None, however, broke the silence. As the seconds ticked by, Nott's expression twisted into a smirk, a hungry smile that stretched across his features and made his eyes dance with cold amusement. The silence between them was broken by a raucous laugh bursting forth from Nott's lips.

"Oh this is marvelous! I haven't had amusement such as this in _years!_" He drew in breath to suppress the laughter. "I would highly recommend," he finally said, "that if you intend on breaking down other people's doors, you at least go through the trouble to make sure that your _own_ are locked and secured." His smile was sardonic and it made Loki twitch. "And for all that you seem to disdain humans, you yourself are a rather miserable pile of secrets."

"Nice old school reference, Uncle Theo," Scorpius grinned, though only he did. "And I brought you those phials."

"Thank you." He took them gingerly. "I attribute it to spending too much time around you and your friends. And the Muggle amusements you favor so much."

Scorpius and Albus shared a smirk.

"We are almost done. For now. One last bit." His hand slipped into his robe and when it came out it had a small silver knife it in.

"Uh, what do you think you're doing to do with that?" Tony's voice spoke up. "Because if you're going to kill us, couldn't you do it with something cooler? I mean, don't you have like some kind of magic sword or something, a better way to go out than something smaller than my pinkie?"

"One of us does," Nott said, his dark eyes glancing momentarily at Frankie. "But that is for later. Do not worry, I do not intend to kill you. All I intent to do is take a little off the top."

With quick motions, he cut a lock of hair from each. Tony complained loudly and profanely, Steve remained still as a beam, Loki twisted as much as he dared and shot vicious looks at him, and Thor winced, as if it pained him to see any part of his golden locks shorn away.

"Done. Now come." Nott motioned towards the three. "They will be secure enough down here for a few moments. Should they attempt an escape, I've no doubt the screams would alert us. And I would speak with you three about what we are to do next."

"Don't you think that's a conversation you should be sharing with the class?" Tony spat.

His eyes rested on Loki. "No. I don't."

His robes trailed behind him as he pushed the children up the steps and into the study. They fell onto the room's large leather couch while Nott busied himself lighting a fire in the room.

"Better." He turned. "Are you all comfortable?"

"I feel like we've all been sent to see McGonagall," Frankie grumbled.

"I am no head of the school." He sat down and his expression finally started to finally soften. "So forgive me if I seem sharp. It is only out of worry." He looked into the fire. "I did not like what I saw."

"You used legilimency," Scorpius said.

"Of course I did." He shook his head. "This is a dangerous business. I will warn you all of that going in. And I have not been the first person inside his mind. Far from it," he laughed mirthlessly. "But all of this was your idea Albus?"

The boy squirmed. "Once we found out they were heroes, yeah."

"Tell me. Truthfully Albus – and I will trust you to give me the truth without having to pry. Is this about your father or your brother?"

He swallowed before he answered, as though the idea was giving him difficulty. "No. No, it's not that, it's more than… It goes back farther than that. You know?"

"Farther than all of the fights you've had with your brother?" He quirked an eyebrow.

"No, maybe not that far, I just meant the _last_ fight." He sucked in a breath. "But not about me. Not really. I mean, I wouldn't care… James picked on me all the time as a kid but that wasn't what bothered me. All those times when I was a kid wanting to be all those things like you said," he went on, looking at Frankie, "it was about _us_. Not just myself."

"Us. You and Scorpius?"

"No. All of us. You and me and Scorpius and the Slyterins like Professor Slughorn and... and my namesake." He gulped. "And even people like Frankie. Everything they still say – I hate it!" He burst out. "Nobody ever talks about the Battle of Hogwarts without mentioning how Pansy Parkinson wanted to hand my father over. But they all omit Slughorn and those who stayed to fight."

Frankie's expression had gotten cold as well. "I know what you mean. All anybody ever talks about us in the war was Diggory dying, like a martyr. Not the ones who fought. Not those who stood up."

"And if I've wanted an adventure, if I've acted like a stupid Gryff some of the time, it's not for me! I might not have even been a Slytherin, but I wanted…"

"You wanted people to see the best of our house. Instead of the worst." Nott nodded. "Understandable. Though remember, it is unwise to ground your own sense of worth – or by extension the worth of your house – on the opinions of others. You are clever and skilled and talented, particularly at transfiguration. You do not need the accolades of others to tell you this."

"I know. But I want to do this. I want to try myself, test my limits. And I want… I want to know firsthand that Slytherins can be as skillful and as good as everybody else. I don't care if anybody thanks me at the end." He sighed. "But I wasn't there for the Battle of Hogwarts. I wasn't there for all that Snape did. All I see around me is a shell of a House that has stopped speaking for itself. I wouldn't care if it wasn't me, but the opportunity fell into my lap. So I want to stand and show everybody what a Slytherin can do. That our way of getting things accomplished is no worse than Gryffindors or Ravenclaws but we can stand and fight if need be. And if nobody cares afterward, then at least I've proven it to me." He looked to his side. "And to you and Scorpius."

There were a few beats of silence.

"You said you thought it was a good idea," Frankie finally spoke. "Why were you so keen on it if you don't think it should be about glory seeking?"

He reclined into the tall-backed chair. "Concern for my kind, perhaps not unlike Albus'. But on a larger level. The Muggles are getting into difficulties they cannot always comprehend. This tesseract, this source of power threatening the whole planet but also there as a potential boon – shall we have no part in it? Shall the wizarding world be passed by, with no say in our planet's future? When we have ample talents to defend it?" He stirred the fire with his wand. "We cannot allow this to continue on. The world is changing. One way or another, something will happen that will prompt us to enter it." He smiled. "And if it is on a Slytherin's terms, perhaps so much the better?" He smiled for the first time in their conversation.

"Well, if Albus has his heart set on it, I'm in, glory of Slytherin house or not." Scorpius' hand drifted over to Albus' and gave it a squeeze.

"And I suppose I'll have to go along just to keep these two out of trouble," Frankie huffed.

"Don't even act like you don't like it Frankie," Scorpius smirked.

"I am glad to hear it," Nott said. "But if we are to do this, we must do it properly. We have some time, Loki was not lying about that, but the time is not infinite and we must therefore move quickly. There are some items I have at my castle which I think perhaps we ought to retrieve. And elsewhere as well." His eyes came to rest on Frankie. "Things for which I might require your assistance Frances."

"What? What is it? What can I do?"

"You have access to Hogwarts, unfettered and unquestioned because of your father's position." He hesitated. "Do you know where the sword that your father used to slay the great snake is kept?"

She paled and for a moment, Scorpius and Albus thought she would turn scarlet, walk out of the manor and refuse.

"Yeah, I know where they keep it. But I'm not a Gryffin…"

"A sword is a sword," Nott said sternly. "Any who can grip the handle may wield it. The threat is potentially immense and it would be a powerful weapon. We cannot afford to set it aside if we have access to it." He then turned to Albus. "And I would have an artifact of yours as well."

"Of mine? What?"

"The cloak you secreted from your father's household the night you left." Albus flushed. "Scorpius confided in me about it."

"Scorpius!"

"I'm sorry Al." He gave him an apologetic grin. "But I thought it would amuse him to know you'd got one over on your dad and your brother."

Albus crossed his arms and huffed but nodded. "Fine. It's in my trunk upstairs."

"Excellent. We all should…"

There was an ear-piercing scream from the basement and the three younger wizards jumped up.

"Looks like somebody decided to test the magic of the restraints," Nott said coolly. "The trickster if I am not mistaken."

"I'll go make sure he's not escaping," Scorpius said, dashing out of the room and down the hall in the direction of the scream.

"And I'll go back to Hogwarts and see what I can find." Frankie stood and made to leave herself but Nott extended his hand.

"Not yet. I will accompany you on that journey. Wait until I return from my own castle. For the moment, join Scorpius and Albus in continuing to guard the rest. And make sure that you and your friends do not reveal anything of significance in front of Loki. As I said – I am not the only one who has wandered the halls of his thoughts and the more he knows the greater chance that others are aware of that which we would keep secret." He set his hand on Albus' shoulder. "And a quick word with you Albus. I have a particular task I want to set you to."

He leaned over and whispered in his ear for several moments. Albus turned slightly red at the tips of his ears but nodded. "I understand."

"Good." Nott threw a handful of powder into the fire and it burned bright green. "Now each to your tasks."

Albus stepped towards the door but paused and pivoted.

"Mr. Nott?" He looked at him amid the green flames. "You knew he would try that when you activated the spells, didn't you?"

His response was a twitch of a smile. "Nott Castle!"

"Told you that was going to happen," Scorpius said disdainfully to the haggard looking liesmith as the trio came back downstairs and settled down to watch.

Loki seethed.

"This affront to Asgard shall be remembered!" Thor warned. "I shall not forget that you have hurt my brother in this fashion!"

"Silence your oafish mouth!" Loki snapped.

"I only want to see to your safety, brother," Thor said quietly.

"I do not need you to see to that."

"You should listen to him. Try it again and you'll see where it gets you," Scorpius threatened, crossing his arms.

"It is kind of you to be such a good brother," Albus remarked quietly. His emerald eyes locked with Thor's lapis ones and the smile on the boy's face was soft and sad. "Looking out for him even though it is clear he has hurt you."

"I could not do less, for he is my brother!" He looked at Loki. "No matter what he might say."

"Compassionate words indeed," Albus murmured.

Scorpius and Frankie exchanged a glance, but they all fell back into silence.

* * *

So yes, Frankie is a Longbottom. :) I don't think they have a canon kid, but I love Neville and I wanted to use somebody outside the Potter-Weasley family so there you go.


	4. A Scarf, a Song, and a Pensieve

The minutes ticked away and still Nott failed to return and silence spread like a stifling blanket. Scorpius sprawled out over the couch, making sparks with his wand in the air. Eventually he aimed one at Frankie's pigtails and she kicked him in response.

"I'm bored." Scorpius drawled, sitting up and rubbing the shin where she'd hit him. He strode over to Loki, attired as he was when he crashed the German concert. "Nice scarf," he smirked and yanked it away.

"Scorpius, what are you doing?" Frankie laughed as Loki did a half lunge, inhibited by the manacles.

"Return it!" He hissed.

"No," Scorpius said smugly. "No I don't think I will." He draped it around his neck. "How do you think it looks on me?" He waved it a bit. "It's got our school colors and everything. Green and yellow! Slytherin and Hufflepuff!"

"I think you look dashing," said Al.

"I think you look stupid." Frankie rolled her eyes.

"You know what else this makes me think of?" He whipped it off and twisted it into his hands. "I feel you! I see you! The sun caught in your raven hair is blazing in me out of all control…" He reached a hand out to touch Albus' cheek and Frankie's expression was twisted into something halfway between a scowl and a laugh.

"If I could roll my eyes any harder I would," she managed.

"Scorp's being sweet," Albus said archly.

"Sweet? That song is terrible! Love me or I'll burn you to death – that's _not_ a healthy relationship Albus," she said in a matter of fact tone.

"I meant what I said! But I have a better idea." He unwound the scarf from around Scorpius' hands. He held it at either end and started to twirl around with it while Loki's face grew redder. "Think of August when the trees were green!" He began in a lilting falsetto. "Don't think about the way things might have beeeeeen!" He trilled and Frankie started giggling. "Think of me, think of me waaaaaaaking! Silent and resiiiiiiigned!" He held the scarf up to Scorpius' face. "Imagine meeeeee trying too haaaaaaard to puuuuuuut you from my miiiiiiiind!"

"You two are such dorks!" Frankie burst out laughing. "But you'd better stop before you make him have a coronary," she said with a nod towards the fuming Loki. "Let me guess, this is the part where you threaten revenge for messing with your neckwear?"

He merely glared coldly.

Scorpius plucked the scarf out of Albus' hands and draped it around his neck. Grey met green in a twinkling smirk. "It does look better on you, though. Brings out your eyes."

"So are you two dating or something?" Tony suddenly broke in while the others looked on in alternate confusion and anger.

"Congratulations!" Scorpius threw up his hands then brought them back down for a slow clap. "Well done Captain Obvious!"

Thor frowned. "But his name is Stark not Obvious and there is but one captain amongst us!"

Scorpius pinched the bridged of his nose as he sighed. "It's an expression. No shit Sherlock. Of course we're dating. I don't waste my smoldering gazes on Albus for nothing."

"He does look a little like Sherlock, now that you mention it," Albus said thoughtfully.

"I didn't mention anything, and what do you mean?" Scorpius appraised Tony critically. "He doesn't look a damn thing like Benedict Cumberbatch and doesn't have half the sex appeal."

"Not that Sherlock, the American one. From that movie."

Scorpius made a face. "Heresy! You bite your tongue." He leaned in and leered. "Before I have to bite it for you."

"Gimme a break." Tony nodded at Steve. "You're going to give the hundred year old virgin here a heart attack if you keep acting like that. Also, just so you geeks know, the Capsicle here slept through the last several decades of pop culture and those two aren't from around here, so I'm the only one picking up on just how nerdy you guys are."

"I am not that old, Tony!" Steven said coldly.

"Notice he didn't say anything about the other part of that statement," Tony smirked.

"Because it's none of their business!" Steven looked appalled.

Scorpius swaggered over and used a thin finger to trace the lines of Steve's costume. "I could make it my business."

Steve paled and Tony laughed. "Now you really are going to give him a fit. I don't think he's even warmed up to the idea that guys can like guys yet. Also, aren't you like, fourteen? I'm pretty sure that's illegal even over here."

"Oh, I'll bet I could warm him up to it." Scorpius looked into Steve's eyes as the older man shifted uncomfortably. "And I'm seventeen!" He snapped at Tony.

"Alright, that's enough out of you, Casanova." Frankie dragged him by the collar away from the blushing soldier. "You want to be useful, come and help me make dinner. I'm sick of waiting down here while you try to bait this lot. It's cold and I'm hungry and I'm pissed that we're spending the night watching these guys hang around and do nothing instead of drinking and watching movies like we were supposed to." She turned to Albus. "You can watch them until we're done?"

He nodded. "Go. It won't be a problem."

They disappeared up the stairs again as Albus reclined on the couch. There was a moment of silence until Tony cleared his throat.

"So… dinner. Sounds tasty."

"You've clearly never eaten anything Frankie and Scorp have ever made. I love them dearly but I still don't understand how you ruin a frozen pizza."

"What are they making, anyway? Some kind of weird wizard food?" Tony grinned. "Something boiled in a cauldron with newts or toads or…"

"Probably spaghetti. Because it's easy." Albus swooshed his wand carelessly. "Don't be an arse. We eat food just like you do. And we don't _have_ to give you any so you'd better behave."

Tony made a crestfallen expression. "And here I thought we were becoming friends."

Albus smirked and opened a second beer. Sitting up, he ranked a condensation-wet hand through his hair with a sigh. The water droplets slicked some of the unruly pieces of hair back and he looked up at the four. At the end, Thor shifted and Albus smiled.

"I have been wondering something young Albus."

"Yes?" From the corner of his eye, he watched Loki's lips press thinly together.

"I have not been able to summon Mjölnir, though it is enchanted to return to me always. Why should this be so?"

"It's safe. If that's what you're worried about." He took a sip. "Scorpius and I had to float it together to get it back here but it made it in one piece. We put all that stuff in a compartment in the mansion. It's enchanted to be unplottable like the house is, among other things, in order to keep people from finding it. That's probably why you can't sense it." He looked around. "Something you learn about this house – it was practically made to keep things hidden and secret. Even people."

"Whoa, whoa, back up there," Tony cut in. "Unplottable. What's that mean?"

"Means that Muggles like you can't find us unless we want you to. You could look for a hundred years with anything you've got – maps, radar, satellites – and you still couldn't figure out where we are."

"So what you're saying," Tony groused, "is that our people could be looking for us right now…"

"…and it would be completely futile? Yes." The grin he gave Tony was toothy and sharp. "Wizards aren't too fond of being discovered you see. Muggles have a nasty history of attempting to burn everything we own, including our bodies, in silly attempts to drive us out. So in general we think it best to keep a low profile. For everybody's sake."

"Then magic is feared on Midgard too?" Thor asked with an anxious look at his brother. "When I first came, those I met would have had me believe it did not even exist."

"You could say that." Albus drank. "Wizard-Muggle relations aren't exactly stellar on either end which explains the ignorance of it. These days, most Muggles don't know about us, though there have been plenty of witch hunts in the past. And for us, about once every generation somebody gets it into his or her head that Muggles need to be eradicated and there's a big fight over it." He looked at the half-empty bottle. "That's my father's claim to fame, you know. Last war. He led the forces of good, triumphed over evil and fate and death and half a dozen other things. Big damn hero."

"Yeah, you don't sound exactly thrilled by that," Tony snarked. "What's the matter, got something against heroics?"

He shrugged. "I suppose I ought to say something about the length of the shadow my father casts. But mostly it pains me that, despite even my father's own efforts to the contrary, he is remembered and my namesake is not." He waves his wand and letters float into the air. "Albus Severus Potter." With another wave, the words on either end vanished. "Severus Snape was a very good man," he whispers, "wrapped in the guise of a very bad one. And I only wish people thought of him more. Him and all of the others who paved my father's way to victory. But that is never the case. The only one remembered at the end is he who struck the victorious blow. Not even Frankie's dad gets half as much praise for his role in slaying the snake, even though Voldemort could not have died if he hadn't."

Thor shifted guiltily. "I am acquainted with this anguish if which you speak. Indeed, I fear there may be quite similar anxieties which lay at the heart of my brother's coldness."

"Oh?" Albus' voice was barely above a whisper.

"I am not your brother," Loki snapped.

"For magic is not appreciated on my world as perhaps it ought to be." He bowed his head. "Indeed, I myself have called it a coward's way compared to the might of wielding sword and shield. And though my brother stood by my side in many adventures, I fear I oft claimed the lion's share of the glory. You were of great help!" He exclaimed to Loki. "Many a time. Such as the time on Nornheim! I should have died if you had not cloaked us with your smoke. To suggest it was but a deceitful trick was unworthy of me and I apologize deeply for giving you offense through my words."

Loki opened his mouth for an instant but snapped it shut again and said nothing.

"You sound like a Gryffindor," Albus smiled wryly. "Albeit a very contrite one." The smile shifted into a slight frown. "Though at least you apologize for it. Unlike my own brother."

"A Gryffindor? Indeed, I have heard you say this word several times but I do not understand what it might mean, though such is the case of many things on Midgard."

"A Gryffindor is…" He laughed. "How to explain. Our school, Hogwarts, the school where every kid in England with enough magic in them learns how to use it, is split into four houses. And we're all sorted into those houses based on our supposed qualities. Frankie is in Hufflepuff – justice and loyalty, although most people insult them and say they're the dunderheads. My cousin Rose is in Ravenclaw, the house of "wit and learning," where the smart ones end up. My brother, my father, my whole family save for myself have been Gryffindors. Bravery and boldness. Chivalrous. Or so they claim. And Scorpius and I, we are Slytherins." He locked gazes with Loki. "We are cunning and ambitious. Underhanded, the Gryffindors would say. But we merely know how to win without being idiots." He smiled at Thor. "It's a story that I'm guessing sounds rather familiar."

Thor's face was red and his body slackened. "And your brother, he slights you? He insults your magic even though he practices the same?"

"With Gryffindors, it's not about the magic. Although given how powerful magic is I find it funny that your people thing that sheer _brawn_ is the way to go," he scoffed. "It's more about its application. How magic is used. A Gryffindor would rather run up to you in a head on a duel. A Slytherin would be smarter about it. A proper Slytherin anyway." He drained more of his drink. "But that's not the only problem with me and James."

"He has wounded you in other ways?" Thor asked hesitantly. He continued to glance at his own brother, though Loki refused to meet his gaze.

Albus sat up, set down the now-empty bottle. With purposeful strides, he went into the adjoining room and brought back a bowl made of heavy silver with runes etched on to the sides. With a wave of his wand, he created a pedestal from one of the dungeon's rocks upon which he set the basin. Then he put his wand to his temple and slowly began to draw out a silvery strand.

"The hell is that?" Tony looked at the silver thread like it might suddenly jump to attack him.

"My most painful memories," Albus said softly. When the bowl was filled with pooling, shifting silver, he stood back satisfied. "Thor. If you would truly like to know of the discord between my brother and myself you have but to look. Come and see if you will." With a wave of his wand, the cuffs released the blond Asgardian. Thor took a hesitant step towards the pedestal. Blue eyes gazed into green and Albus smiled. "You may trust me. It is merely a vision."

"Uh, Thor, you might not want to…" Tony began but with a wave Albus silenced him again.

Thor bent over the bowl and vanished into it. Albus too leaned over and a second later he felt the tug of the memory take him.

"Thor!" Steve screamed, but the noise was far off, fading into darkness as the world of memory engulfed them both.

* * *

A/N: Quick note - the incident Thor is referring to on Nornheim was from the "give us a kiss" scene.


	5. A Journey into Memory

For a few moments, all was darkness and Thor could not tell where he was. Then light began to emerge. There was a rushing sound and he realized he was in a small room that was moving very quickly.

"This is the Hogwarts Express," a voice beside him said. He looked down and saw Albus. "It's the train that brings us to our school."

A child darted through Thor's body and he gasped. Albus' lips twitched into a smile.

"We're in a memory. We cannot be seen or touched. Come." He walked down and halted in front of an open compartment. Thor looked in and saw the two boys, the blond and the raven, sitting across from each other.

"You don't talk much do you?" Young Albus was saying. "Well that's alright. My mom always says that I can talk up a storm." He frowns. "And sometimes my brother says I talk too much."

The young Scorpius looked at him and frowned. "You know my last name, right?"

"Malfoy!" He grinned. "I know. Say, is that a DS in your bag?"

"Why are you here, then?" He looked out the window. "Potter." He said the name like it left a bad taste.

Albus blanched slightly and then a blush started to spread on his cheeks. His hands fluttered about as he tried to articulate. "Well I… I saw you on the platform and thought you were really… really... and… and I've heard so much about you and I thought maybe…"

"I don't need pity friendship," Scorpius snapped.

Albus chewed his lip. Then he pointed at the pack. "So I see you have Pokemon Black. I have the White version." He rummaged in his bag and lifted a device in triumph. "We could trade and complete our Pokedexes!"

"Al!" The girl from earlier charged in through their incorporeal bodies and flopped on to the seat next to Al.

"Hi Frankie!" He pointed. "This is Scorpius. He likes Pokemon too!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I never said I _liked_ it."

"Well then why do you have the game?"

Another figure appeared in the door, much like Albus but taller and with eyes a shade of hazel rather than green.

"Al, what are you doing here? Come on, Rose and I have a car further down."

He made a face. "I don't wanna squash in with all your friends. Plus I met a new friend!" He gestured. "Scorpius!"

"I'm not his friend!" Scorpius said hotly.

"I should hope not," James laughed. "Can't you tell from the silver hair? He's a Malfoy, Al. Make friends with him and you might end up in Slytherin for real. Don't want that do you? Now come on. You too Frankie, your dad wouldn't want you talking to someone like him either."

"I'll talk to whoever I want!" She kicked him in the shin and he hissed.

"And maybe I want to end up in Slytherin! Dad said that he would be proud of me if I did!"

James rolled his eyes. "Dad just said that. Nobody _really_ wants their kids to be in Slytherin. At least good parents," he said with a glare at Scorpius, who flushed. "So come on, hang out with us."

"No!" He crossed his arms. "I want to hang out with Scorpius."

For a moment James opened his mouth to argue, but then turned around. "Fine, whatever. Losers."

Albus let out a sigh of relief once he'd gone. "So, you wanna play before we get to Hogwarts?"

"Did you mean it?" Scorpius asked.

"Mean what?"

"That you wanted to end up in Slytherin."

Albus flashed him a grin. "Well if that's where you end up, sure. Besides, I'm named for Severus Snape, the greatest spy of the war! I think he'd be happy if I ended up there, right?"

Scorpius paused, and then pulled out his game. "So how far have you gotten?"

"Nerds," Frankie laughed but there was a good-natured tone in her voice as she propped her feet up on the seat across from her.

The scene faded into darkness once more. The darkness lifted and Thor found himself in a bright field. A house was behind them and in front the two boys were running around. They were still young, not much older than they'd been in the previous vision, clad in robes with objects in their hands that looked like some manner of training swords, clumsy but glowing. Albus had a green one and Scorpius a blue and they were sparring with each other.

"What is this? Are you training? The swords are unlike any I have ever seen but your actions are not unlike those which I oft practiced in the ring with my companions."

"No," Albus chuckled. "Just playing."

"I have the high ground!" Albus brought his sword down on Scorpius.

"You underestimate my power!" Scorpius laughed and pushed back,

Albus tumbled into the grass. Scrambling to get up, he came at Scorpius again but as he ran at him for another attack the sword suddenly became an enormous snake, he dropped it with a scream.

The sound of laughter came from another corner his brother stepped out.

"James!" He shrilled. "Change it back!" He looked at the snake with wide eyes, shaking as he tried to back away.

"What's the matter? I thought guys like you were supposed to like snakes." His eyes were bright and he was smirking. "And isn't that your name anyway? Asp?"

"Please James!" He begged.

Scorpius pulled a wand out from his pocket.

"_Alarte ascendare!" _Scorpius whipped his wand and suddenly the snake went flying into James' face.

With an enraged scream he tore it from his face and with a pop it reverted to its original form of a plastic sword. The damage had been done, however. "My eyes! Mom!" He ran screaming back into the house.

"We're going to get in trouble!" Albus fretted.

"It was his own fault for starting it," Scorpius said and took Albus' hand. "Come on," he said softly. "Let's go to my grandparents' place. We can hide there for a while."

"James only grew worse after that. My toys would change into snakes or scorpions whenever he thought nobody was looking. He teased us if we told. So I got good at transfiguration," Albus told Thor in a voice that sounded weary and distant. "That way, whatever he did I could undo."

Once again the scene faded. They emerged in another yard, this one adjacent to a large house.

"This is the mansion," Albus said. "Sorry that you've only seen the worst of it."

"It is quite regal," Thor complimented.

"Come." Albus walked over to a tree where two figures were hunched.

"Shhhh Al. It's okay." Scorpius was bent over another young apparition of Albus. Albus was digging in the dirt and there was a heavy wooden box with a feather etched on top sitting next to him. They were several years older than they'd been in the previous scene but still not their current ages. "It'll be alright. Grandpa Lucius said that there are some young peachicks and he'd be happy to let you have one."

"I don't want a new one," Albus said in a watery voice and Thor realized that he'd been crying. His eyes were rimmed a blood red and his body heaved with the exhaustion of one who had been crying long and hard. "I loved Vivi! I don't want another peacock! I want her back!" He dropped the shovel and started to sob again. "I swear I locked her pen! I did! I don't know how… how she got out…"

Scorpius knelt next to him and embraced him. "I do."

Albus pushed him away. "He wouldn't! He knew how much I cared about her!"

"Maybe he didn't think a fox would get her. Maybe he thought she'd just wander off, thought it would be funny if you missed her but then things went wrong," Scorpius offered in a conciliatory tone, though Thor could tell that he didn't actually believe that.

Albus looked at him for a moment, and then slumped against his chest again. "She was the best owl ever. Even if she wasn't really an owl."

"I know, Al. I know."

"Scorpius had given me one of his family's albino peacocks the first Christmas after we met," the older Albus explained to Thor. "Wizards use birds to communicate. Normally owls, but sometimes we will use others." A sad smile spread on his lips. "Vivi was mine. Until she died." They looked at the tableau of the grieving boys for a moment longer. "That night, we snuck into James' room and stole his wand then used _priori incantatem_ on it. It is a spell which will tell you what spells the wand has last cast." He sucked in a breath. "The last spell James had cast was _alohomora_. The unlocking spell."

The world faded again and they stood in darkness for a moment.

"I could not prove it to my family of course. Scorpius and I technically stole from James to find the information out. We couldn't give them proof without revealing our own trespass. But we knew. And that hurt as much as losing Vivi."

"Could he be so cruel? Your own brother?"

"It might have just been a prank gone wrong," Albus said coldly. "But James never did care much about the consequences of his so-called pranks. They got worse and worse. And though I held back, Scorpius rarely did."

The scene shifted again. Once again, time had passed. They were on a couch watching a machine that Thor recognized as a television. Frankie was there too, sitting on the couch while they stood and bounced around on the cushions.

"Perform for crowds of thousands!" Scorpius sang, flinging his arms wide.

"They'll shower us with diamonds!" Albus joined in, jumping up next to Scorpius.

"The Wond…"

"That show's for babies." James' voice, coming from the doorway, cut through the music. "And you two look gay." Without another word he walked off while Al deflated, silencing the television with his wand as he fell back onto the couch.

"Al. Al." Scorpius sat down. "Don't listen to him." He gave Al's cheek a swift kiss. "It doesn't matter what he says. You know that, right? That he's an idiot with flobberworms for brains?"

"Scorpius is right." Frankie scooted closer. "James is stupid. And you and Scorpius are a million times better as a couple than that awful Corner girl he's dating."

"I'm so sick of James," Albus whispered. "I wish I was an only child like you Scorpius."

"Well, Lily isn't so bad," Scorpius said with a shrug. "But yeah, I wish James wasn't around either."

"I love you more."

"What?" Scorpius looked at his dark-haired companion in confusion.

"More than James." He looked up and kissed Scorpius softly and slowly. "He may be my brother, but I love you more."

Scorpius' pale skin flushed a delicate shade of pink.

"You two are so sweet I can hardly stand it," Frankie muttered.

"Shut up Frankie," Scorpius said, but without any malice. "And let's go to my grandfather's library."

"To make out with Al? There are closer places you could do that, you know," Frankie laughed.

"Tempting but no. Come on, Al. And you too Frankie." He grinned. "Let's go hit the books and see if we can't find a curse that'll make James' crotch rot off. Preferably while he's in the middle of a date with that Corner girl."

Albus smiled fleetingly at the memory. "We never did find a spell for that so Scorpius settled for a potion slipped into pumpkin juice that made James' hair fall out. Even when I didn't want him to, he retaliated for me, with words and spells. James would jinx me, Scorpius would mock his last Quidditch loss and then ruin a date of James'. So James would meet him after a class with two or three of his pals and start a fight. We were in detention constantly. And we could barely stand to be at home with one another when school let out. I had been considering leaving and then… well, just watch."

Thor found himself at the food of a stadium, packed to the brim with cheering crowds.

"The school Quidditch pitch," Albus shouted above the noise. "Quidditch is a sport that wizards play. It's what Scorpius and I were practicing when we ran into you."

"You can fly!" Thor looked up at the figures swooping around on broomsticks.

"Of course!" He smiled. "We are wizards aren't we? James is in the red, there. And Scorpius and I are in green."

The crowd roared as a ball was passed back and forth between two different members of the red team and through one of the hoops.

"Ten more for Gryffindor! Bringing the score up to 90-40 in favor of Gryffindor! And Potter seems to have spotted the Snitch!" A disembodied voice boomed over the crowd.

"It wasn't even that bad," whispered Albus. "Not compared to some of his other actions. But after everything, it was too much."

Scorpius swooped down sending a large black ball swinging past James. He ducked to avoid it, but had clearly lost sight of whatever he was seeking in the process.

"That's a bludger," Al said. "Same as hit you."

"Did it have the same effects? For the one that hit me did feel to me stronger than a giant's fist."

"Just watch," Al murmured.

James spun the broomstick around and sped it up towards Scorpius. The other boy's back was already turned, heading towards the other players on the field. He barely had a warning from the Slytherins in the crowd before James blindsided him, sending him crashing into the stands. He hit the wooden sides and his body flopped onto the grass below, a short distance away from the invisible Albus and Thor.

"Scorp!" Al bellowed.

A bludger swung by him and he smashed it towards James. With a sickening thud it connected with James' head and he too plummeted towards the ground. Thor gasped and the older Albus gazed coldly. The younger Albus pulled up sharply, not yet done, and sped towards the second bludger. He lifted the paddle and with a swift motion he sent it hurtling towards his brother's still form on the ground. It smashed into his chest with a bone-crunching crash and James _screamed_.

Whistles were blowing everywhere and Albus was landing, dropping off his broomstick before it was even grounded.

"Scorpius!" He ran towards them in a panic and shook the other boy. "Scorpius!"

"I'm alright," he panted. "Just a little winded, did they foul James for…" He looked over to the red, unmoving boy across the field. "Oh no. Nonono. Al. What did you do?"

Al was tearing up. "I thought he'd… when you fell…"

The field became a commotion of people streaming on to it, trying to lift and treat James. A grey-haired woman pulled Albus away, shouting at him that he was ejected, that he was to see the Headmistress and would be lucky not to be expelled. Scorpius tried to stand but fell back, into the arms of a portly man with bushy whiskers.

"Professor Slughorn!" Scorpius looked up at him. "You can't let them throw Al out!"

"I will do whatever I can, m'boy," Slughorn reassured him. "But your leg looks in bad condition."

"Then fix it!" He shrieked. "Al, I need to see Al…"

"Easy boy, easy…" The man said, waving his wand and causing Scorpius to go limp in his arms while the field echoed with shouts and fighting, green against red and blue and yellow.

"I wasn't expelled," Al said. "As badly as James was hurt, Slughorn pointed out the wide latitude Beaters were given when they played Quidditch, that it's an inherently dangerous game and that James understood the risks he took when he agreed to play. I could not be punished simply because I was a Slytherin and James a popular Gryffindor. It galled a lot of people but there wasn't much that could be done." He paused. "Slytherin won the match once James was out. And the House Cup as a result. I think James was most upset about that. At first, at least."

Thor nodded but did not speak for a great while. "This was why you left?"

"I had attacked James," Albus said. "Destroyed his dreams. There was damage and no professional Quidditch team wanted…" He shuddered. "Father was furious."

"He threw you out?" Thor asked sympathetically.

"I left before he could. We haven't spoken since."

There was darkness once more and a pulling feeling and Thor found himself in the basement again, standing next to the bowl.

"And now you know," Albus said ruefully.

"It is a sad and regretful tale you have told me this day, Potterson." Thor set a hand on his shoulder. "But time may yet bind the wounds that have come between you and your brother and father."

Albus looked at him. "I hope so. There's no love lost between me and James, but I didn't mean to injure him as badly as I did. Truly, I didn't. I would apologize but…" He swallowed thickly. "I fear they don't wish to hear it."

Thor shook him. "Brace and hope! For though it may seem as though all hope is lot, yet may the father forgive the follies of the son as mine own father did."

"Heh." Loki scoffed and Al looked at him but did not respond.

"Dinner's ready!" Frankie's voice came from upstairs. "And Mr. Nott just got back!"

"Thanks Frankie!" Albus called. "Would you care for some dinner?" He smiled at Thor.

"Indeed! I am quite famished!" He grinned, but then paused. "Shall my brother and my companions dine as well? It should not feel right partaking in their absence.

"The first two, sure. Not him," he said with a nod at Loki, "no matter how much you try to sway me, Thor. Only you. But don't think we're just going to let you wander around. No funny business, got that?" Albus said severely. "Now let's go." He pushed the three up the steps once the manacles sprung open. "Something actually smells good and I'm pretty starved myself."


End file.
